Glory
by Nalia-R
Summary: You're not a soldier, a hero, a warrior. You are a mere child, raised on false dreams of perceived glory.
1. Innocent

**Hello there! Well everyone, this is my new story. While browsing around and experiencing life, this story came to mind.**

**This is the story of a girl, a tribute, a victor, a women, a rebel, and how she survives.**

* * *

_12 Years Earlier_

"I don't want her to go."

I pressed closer against the hard wood door, the sound of my mothers sobs reverberating through the door. Why was mommy crying? Ever since those weird papers had been posted again she had been crying.

"She must fight Silk. Do you want to raise a weakling, or a victor? She can bring honor to our family, our name. This can be everything we've ever wanted."

My father's voice. It sounded almost as if he were pleading, but already knew the answer. The answer, of course, would be yes, for who could say no to my father?

"You've always wanted honor. You've cared for nothing else since you were thirteen, and now you want your daughter to play into that same trap! You failed, and now you want her-"

"You have no idea-"

"You want to sell her, _use _her!"

"Shut up!"

"I swear, sometimes I wish Cutter hadn't beat you out for those Games. Then I'd never-"

_Slap_

I jumped at the harsh crack heard plainly through the thick wood. He hit her. Why would he hurt Mommy?

"You will listen to me Silk. Brilliant will be a fighter. She _will _go to the school, and there's nothing you can say or do to stop me. And I swear, if you try, I _will _kill you."

My mother laughed, a high, harsh, cold sound I had never heard come from her before. It chilled me to my very core

"You forget Silver, I was trained to kill too. As I remember, I was a much better fighter than you.

All was silent and I heard my father stand and walk towards the door. I hurriedly jumped to my feet, my soft satin nightie billowing around my short legs as I tried to stand up.

"Silk, you better learn to shut your mouth. Brill _will _fight, and there's nothing you can say or do about it. She'll bring us glory, and she's starting tomorrow."

"You'll risk your daughters life for _glory_? It's not worth it.

"It's worth anthing."

* * *

**So, um, like, did you guys like it? When I first thought of this story, I swear I didn't mean for it to connect in anyway to TBD, I just liked the idea of writing a One tribute. This won't be updated too frequently, but it will be completed.**


	2. Genesis

**I'm not even sure how often I'll update this thing, since I have to balance this with school, my book, friends, theatre, my other extra curriculars, possibly updating my story TBD, and my story Letters. So, yea.**

_12 Years Later_

My father always said I was destined for greatness, ever since I passed the qualifying exam to join the Academy when I was six. Ever since then, I've been groomed by the absolute best so that I could have my chance at winning glory in the games, just like my father should've had that bastard Cutter hadn't beaten him out by a point.

It was in a category called 'Knowing Your Limits'. Bull.

Whack Whack Whack Whack Whack.

"One inch off on this one Brill." my dad criticized, looking at one of the targets.

"What does it matter?" I snapped, hitting another target dead center.

"It matters because it could make the difference between striking someone in the spinal cord, or just hitting some soft tissue and muscle." he said, grabbing my next knife out of my hand. I gritted my teeth at him, snatching it back and throwing it at the "missed" target. It hit center, and I turned to him.

"Satisfied now?"

"Satisfied doesn't mean you coming out of the arena."

He said that all of the time, especially now that we were getting closer to the arena date. Today was the day I was to be sent to my destiny. Whether I lived or died wasn't a choice. I had to win and come out victorious.

Whenever I mentioned that to my mother nowadays she scoffed at how brainwashed I was by my father. To that I replied how brainwashed she must be to stay with him then. To that she replied that I would have turned out more screwed up without her.

Yes, I definitely needed to know what it was like to have normal, non academy friends. I needed to know how to apply makeup and wear dresses. I had to know about the mundane drama that went on in pop culture and I had to moon over guys. My mother is such an idiot sometimes.

"Pay attention Brill." He said.

"I am." I said, albeit a bit snottily. I was walking over to the target to yank a knife out when I felt a sharp searing pain on the top of my right ear. I looked to see there were now two knives in the board.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked him quietly. He didn't answer, and I felt the warm blood beginning to drip on the outer shell of my pale ear. When I let my hair down for the reaping no one would notice, just how my father would want it.

"I'm only trying to help you survive. Always keep your guard up." He said finally. I understood.

"Fix your collar." My mother grumbled, stepping forward to touch the collar of my sky blue satin dress. I swatted her hand away and adjusted it myself, gazing at myself in the mirror. My long black hair was arranged in waves that were carefully arranged to make sure the scratch on my ear didn't show. Perfect.

"Are you ready?" She asked. I nodded. "Where's your father then?"

"I'm right here." He stopped about a foot away from her and gave her a cool surveying look that she icily returned with all the venom of a snake.

"Let's go then." She said sharply. She strode out the door before we could reply, and my father and I had no choice but to follow her down the block it took us to get to the Square.

The registration table loomed before us, the Peacekeepers in white uniforms that practically gleamed under the sun working quickly and efficiently to check everyone in. To my left I could see the stage, some of our Victors already sitting there looking intensely interested in the crowd.

The two Victors I knew would be our mentors this year, Shine Daniels and Luminance Harp were chatting quietly with the mayor on stage. Luminance's smile was charmingly bright as usual, the same smile she wore five years ago when she killed the last tribute by strangling him to death with his own rope. Then chopping his head off. For good measure.

Shine sat sullenly, his hulking body barely seated in the by comparison tiny plastic chair. He kept shifting uncomfortably as he spoke with the other two, making small gestures and nodding in agreement to something Luminance said.

"Hand please." The Peacekeeper said. I handed her my hand and she gripped me by the wrist. She took my blood and fingerprints, and let me go just as fast. I turned to face my parents.

My parents were strong, from years of training for the games then years of training me for the games. Wiry muscle strung through my mother's body while my father was more bulky. They were both beautiful and incredibly intimidating, but I'd never seen them look so vulnerable as they looked right then.

"Good luck baby." My mother whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and running over the curve of my cheek with a slim finger. Her lips tightened and she led my father away, leaving me standing there alone.

"How're you feeling?" Jem asked enviously. The escort was speaking in her usual too bright, too chipper voice.

"Fine." I said shortly. She was exactly the type of person to exploit any weakness I may have. She had come in second to me on the rankings, and if I showed any sign that I couldn't do this, she could volunteer in my place. I'm not entirely sure how well her little strategy could really work right now since I was about to get in the stage in minutes.

"Really, you look a bit pale-"

"I'm always pale." I said with a roll of my eyes. She was really reaching here wasn't she?

She hummed and kept staring at me, appraising my appearance. Jem was the epitome of District One traditional beauty. Blonde curls, green eyes, tanned skin. Jem sometimes says that the trainers like me so much because I looked 'unusual' for someone from one. My hair was too dark, my eyes were deep blue, my skin was so pale. What she didn't understand was that I won because I could beat anyone in the Academy. Just ask her brother.

"Now let's commence the 45th Hunger Games!" the escort, Geanine, exclaimed.

Jem finally turned her attention back to the stage with a scowl on her unfortunately beautiful face. Geanine walked over to the males bowl and pulled out a single, thin white slip.

"Silver Adams!"

A skinny boy with dark hair rose his head from the fifteen year old section. My cousin, though we weren't very close. He didn't even attempt to get out of his section.

"I volunteer." A deep male voice came from the section beside me. I knew it was Blade Grew, top of the male class. I didn't know him very well outside of seeing him around at times and his rankings. They purposefully kept the girls and boys separated to keep us from having 'Inappropriate Motivations'.

A massive boy with blonde hair the color of sunlight and brown eyes like chocolate came from the boys section. His smile was one we had practiced often, confident and strong, but I could see the faint lines of stress in the way his lips were stretched just a bit too wide.

His heavy steps thumped up the steps. Definitely not good at stealth then, though his muscles more than compensated. His white shirt stretched awkwardly tight across his chest, and his pants came up too much at the bottom. Blade was easily one of the biggest guys in One, but I'd never seen him this close up before.

"Name please?" Geanine asked, her dark purple blue lips contrasting awkwardly against the light blue of her skin. I wonder if she knew that in the colder districts, this was something to fear. I wonder if she knew blue skin wasn't a fashion statement, but a sign of death. I wonder if she even cared. I wonder why I do.

"Blade Grew." He said shortly, his chocolate eyes anything but warm as he gazed back at her. He stood strong and stiff, his hands clasped behind his back and his chest puffed out.

Geanine smiled uncomfortably, used to the tributes from One being much more verbose. She seemed to flutter around for something else to do for a second.

"Ok, um, pleased to have you. Now on to our female tributes." She walked back over to the bowls and grabbed a slip. I felt my body tense, ready to sprint up the steps to claim my destiny.

"Jem Solo."

"Out of my way bitch." Jem said, seizing her opportunity to climb onto the stage. Ha, no.

I yanked her back by her hair and socked her in the face, keeping my face devoid of all emotion as the blood started gushing out of her nose. I then hauled her into the air, still holding on to her stupidly silky locks, and punched her in the face again, almost smiling when I heard the sickening crunch of her nose. I hit her in the stomach and dropped her to the ground, nudging her with my foot when I stepped over her.

She tried to stand up, but I pushed her down again. She fell into the arms of one of her friends, who glared at me and led Jem away.

I stepped onto the stage and moved towards Geanine, who seemed to back away from me a step.

"H-Hello. And your name is?" she said, trying her hardest to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Brilliant Adams."


End file.
